A group of individuals, comprising 13 Sri Lankans and one Indian, were apprehended on Wednesday at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on charges of smuggling 6.15 kilograms of gold. The operation, led by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in collaboration with Air Customs, resulted in the seizure of gold valued at an estimated Rs. 3.25 crore, marking the largest gold confiscation at Thiruvananthapuram Airport this year.
Among the detained Sri Lankans, ten were women who had concealed the gold, in a compound state, within their undergarments, shoes, and clothing. The Indian individual arrested alongside the Sri Lankans was identified as Mohammed Faizal, a 26-year-old resident of Tamil Nadu. The DRI reported that only the Indian had concealed the gold inside his rectum.
The group was apprehended shortly after their arrival on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight in the morning. The DRI had received specific intelligence regarding this group and had assembled a formidable team to prevent any attempts to conceal or dispose of the gold.
A source from the DRI noted an unusual increase in the influx of Sri Lankans into Thiruvananthapuram in recent months. According to the DRI, most of the accused were traders involved in business with textile manufacturing units in Tirpur. However, authorities emphasized that further investigation would be necessary to confirm whether all 14 individuals were part of a larger organized operation.
It’s worth mentioning that the Thiruvananthapuram Airport had previously been embroiled in a notorious gold smuggling case that gained notoriety in July 2020 and had significant political implications. The case involved the misuse of the diplomatic corridor, with allegations of involvement by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s former principal secretary, M Sivasankar, and the main accused, Swapna Suresh. Sivasankar was subsequently removed from his position and served a jail term.
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